Sea Wolf
by GenesisofHeart
Summary: (Completed) Sakura is born into a wealthy family, but has never been too fond of her riches. On her birthday, she falls from a ferry and nearly drowns, but is saved by a mysterious boy. (Breif epilogue up) Pretty please RR?
1. The Mysterious Boy

Hi, um, I'm not exactly that good at writing, nor do I boast in my story ideas, but I hope you can spare me a few minutes of your time and read what I've written. This is still in the works, and it's a rather long chapter so bare with me, k? Um, I'm grateful to anyone who reads this and reviews it. Thank you! ^_^  
  
***  
  
Chapter 1: The Mysterious Boy  
  
Sakura Kinomoto didn't hesitate to grown. She laid her elbows on the table and muttered a string of obscenities as she watched the circle of nonchalant dancers meandering in and out across the marble floors. She had been blessed with her fourteenth year on the earth. It was a schedule of birthday repetition; classical music, ballroom dancing, cream and golden streamers, gleaming cutlery and ice sculptures, delectable food and rich wines.  
  
She raised her forest green eyes to the ceiling out of excessive boredom. This year's party had surprisingly taken a slightly different turn of events and was being held on a ferry deemed 'The Lady'. She didn't exactly know where it was traveling. Her mother and father had beamed and said 'It's a surprise'. But she didn't like surprises - they were always in relation with money and/or beauty. One year she had received a thousand- dollar raise in her allowance, which didn't thrill her in the least, and another time she had gotten a diamond-encrusted parasol, that was far too heavy to lift, and if she could have, her parents wouldn't even let her touch it anyway. It resided in the ends of her chambers, collecting dust, confined within a glass display box.  
  
'Care for a dance, fair lady.'  
  
Sakura smiled. It was Eriol Hiirigazawa, her closest friend. She had met him in her second year at a private college. They had never gotten much closer than friends, and their feelings for each other were purely platonic.  
  
A pretty, pale girl clasped his arm. Tomoyo Daidouji, Sakura's second cousin, stared at her impassively, her lips full and pouted. Truth be told, the two girls never got along. Tomoyo was happy with their wealth, unlike Sakura who simply detested it. Eriol was the only existing asset between the two girls; without him there, they would be at each other's throats.  
  
'I see you're enjoying yourself,' Sakura said, orchestrating her hand. 'Sorry Eriol, but I'm turning down your invitation. I really can't handle much more of this music.' She slid from her seat and walked daintily around them, holding up the front of her dress. 'If mother asks where I am, tell her I'm doing something that requires less snoring.'  
  
And with that she walked out the main doors, no one taking notice.  
  
She wandered around the boat until she found the stairs that lead to the upper deck, a vast landing of freshly polished pinewood where usually oldies would be playing deck bowling. A strong scent of salt clung to the air. No one was there. She smiled to herself as she removed her dressy black shoes and threw them under a deckchair with two heavy clunks. She lifted the ends of her dress and, feeling cheeky, tucked them into the elastics of her undergarment. The air rushed between her legs and she smiled.  
  
Faint squeals and clicks traveled on the wind up onto the deck. Sakura ran to the side and leaned over. She marveled at the shimmering ocean water, and the beautiful white froth that was created as the ship streamlined, splitting through the surface. Grey blurs followed beneath the surface like oddly placed shadows. Sakura squinted her eyes and leaned closer. They weren't grey shadows but dolphins. The most majestic creatures in the entire ocean! She rung her hands on the cold railing as she hung her body over the side, her light brown hair a flurry as the boat traveled swiftly across the waters, the wind blowing around her face, around her body, making her dress loosen from being tucking and billowing out like a wavering umbrella. This was what she wanted - a birthday without manners, candlelight and orchestral melodies. She laughed with delight. She raised a barefoot to the lower railing and lifted herself higher. Her dressed snagged on her foot and she slipped, rotating over the side and she fell.shooting through the surface.down into the deep, cold depths.  
  
*  
  
An experience of a thousand ice-cold daggers stabbing overwhelmed her as she plunged beneath the lapping blue waves. She flailed her arms and pumped her legs with all her strength, struggling against the impossible tangles of her dress that weighed her down. After much exhausting straining of her limbs, she managed to rise up through a storm of bubbles, and broke the surface with a gasp. She turned her head round to see the large shifting white side of The Lady. It formed large lapping waves that heaved themselves over Sakura's head causing her to go under again.  
  
She gazed up at the emerald surface that speckled with flecks of yellow light, beaming from the sun above. She started up again but something seemed to be dragging her down. She grabbed the meandering mess of her dress, but it wasn't that. She looked up again. An ominous shadow swept over her; the shadow of the ferry, as she sunk deeper and deeper.  
  
Sakura tried to scream, but only a muffled trill and a string of bubbles flowed from her mouth. Feeling very dazed, she looked toward her feet and saw a glint of silver. Her eye's widened. The propellers were pulling her under! She flailed her arms again, her hands cupped, trying to force herself into a doggy paddle, struggling against the great underwater vacuum. But the insidious 'voomph's' of the giant propeller grew louder, echoing through the waters, thundering emptily in her eardrums. She shut her eyes tightly, praying a mile a minute. Sakura felt something warm clamp the wrist of her right arm. Then she felt herself being tugged, feeling much like a rope tied on either end of two trucks driving away from each other. She opened her eyes and turned toward the propeller that grew smaller and slowly disappeared in the watery shadows. She wasn't dead! Her heart pumping blood at a speed a thousand times faster than it should, and her arms feeling like she had just climbed the height of Mount Everest, Sakura turned her head around and squinted against the salt in the water and the thick streamers of her hair spreading over her face. She saw a mop of misty dark brown hair and she felt a warm hand grab her left shoulder. Her head rested on a warmth-radiating shoulder, repelling the cold of the water. She felt safe and comforted. Her breath failing her, exhaustion overtaking her, she closed her eyes.  
  
*  
  
He panicked when her eyes shut. He swam faster, holding the girl close to his chest. With a final push he had made it to shallower waters, feeling the slight grazing of sand on his free traveling hand. He sighed with relief as he finally made it to the bank, where the sand was damp and dark brown. He lifted the girl carefully from his shoulder and laid her on the ground before him. He leant over and held his ear above her mouth. She wasn't breathing.  
  
He stared hard at her face; it held no expression and she looked peaceful.  
  
Without a second thought, he pinched her nose with his thumb and index finger and leant forward, placing his mouth over hers. He breathed deeply, forcing air to flow through her mouth and into her lungs.  
  
Her chest started to rise and fall. She was breathing!  
  
He withdrew his head and observed her. Her face was a light olive, her eyelashes were long and dark, and her auburn hair and eyebrows were freckled with grains of dried salt and sand. He felt at liberty to brush them away. His eyes wandered down from her eyes to her tiny round nose, and then her thin, pink chapped lips. They looked so dry, and seemed an awful flaw to adorn on such an angelic featured face.  
  
He felt himself drawn to them. He lowered his head once more, and covered her cold lips with his warm ones. Her lips became moist and warm.  
  
He withdrew his face again. Her eyelids started to flicker, revealing liquid green eyes. She stared at him in surprise, lifted her head slowly, and then sat up. 'Who're you?' she asked. She raised a hand to brush the hair out of her eyes, but stopped midway. She realized the golden beach on which they sat, and the lukewarm waves that washed up to her sandy toes.  
  
'You fell,' he answered, looking at her with gentle eyes. 'But you're safe now.'  
  
'Huh?' she asked. She turned back to him again and found that he was gone. She immediately stood up, looking out over the ocean. 'Where'd you go?'  
  
*  
  
Sakura spend the afternoon running along the beach, not caring when she cut her feet on shells or when she tripped and stumbled on rocks, she kept searching until the sky started to turn tones of red and pink.  
  
'Sakura! Sakura!'  
  
She turned to the cries of her name. Her mother and father, Eriol with Tomoyo in tow - everyone came running, still in all their formal attire. Sakura regarded the tears running down Tomoyo's face. Her mother was in the most tears.  
  
'Oh Sakura! When you went missing we wondered what happened!' her father said anxiously.  
  
'I'm so sorry, I should have gone with you,' Eriol said regretfully, comforting a sniveling Tomoyo. It looked like she had rubbed onion into her eyes, her mascara streaking down her cheeks.  
  
'Hey, have you seen a guy around here when you walked down from the dock?' Sakura asked curiously.  
  
Everyone stared at her as if she had gone quite insane. Hadn't she just fallen over the side of the ferry into the freezing ocean and had been washed up on the beach?  
  
Her mother shrieked and fainted at the sight of her bleeding toes.  
  
They eventually convinced her to leave her searching expedition and return to the holiday house to calm down.  
  
*  
  
On top of a rock that sat five hundred meters from the beach's edge was a boy, leaning his chest over the side, leering out into the distance. The wind tossed his messy brunette hair as he remained that way, as still as a statue. He watched the small party of humans walk up the coast and disappear over the horizon. 'I hope to see you again,' he said, his eyes lowering to his hands. Behind him swished a long, deep blue tail, as blue as the ocean reflecting the sky. Scales as no larger than fingernails glistened with beads of water lodged between them.  
  
*  
  
Sakura stood in the twilight darkness, her skin illuminated, looking a sickly milky white. She stared at her ghostly form reflected in her body length bedroom mirror. Her eyes widened. Still staring at herself, she slowly raised a hand and touched her lips with her fingertips. They felt unusually warm for a night as cold and dark as this.  
  
A pair of amber eyes flashed in her mind. Sakura removed her hand and turned away from the mirror, as if it reflected Medusa, and she would instantly be cast to stone.  
  
'The boy,' she muttered, gazing over to the far ends of her room to her king-sized bed, laden with satin sheets.  
  
She walked over to the foot of her bed and ran a hand along the smooth ebony base. She felt the piercing cold of the wood and took her hand away. She withdrew it back into her long warm sleeve and shivered in her night robe. It was then that she was reminded of the near-death she had experienced only a week ago. How close had she come to being severed by diamond-sharp bladed propellers?  
  
That boy.she didn't know how.but he had saved her.  
  
She spun around in thought, staring up at the black ceiling. If she couldn't find him again, how would she ever thank him? With a groan and a cuss, she dropped onto her knees and hugged herself.  
  
In the water, he had been so warm. So warm, that it didn't seem real.it was more than a cushy self-heating pillow.it was.She didn't know. Sakura shuddered as a tear strayed from her eye. She didn't understand, why did she feel so empty? 


	2. The Wish

Hi! Thank you so very much for all your reviews! I'm so happy someone actually read it and enjoyed it! You're all so fantastic! ^_^ Anyway, I hope you like this next chapter, and I'm sorry for the long wait. I've been busy with school and stuff, and it's kind of difficult to juggle both school and story writing. But all in all, I hope you continue to read and enjoy. Remember: R+R is always appreciated~ ^_~  
Chapter 2: The Wish  
  
It was a quarter-to-eight and with his hands dug deep within the pockets of his navy private uniform jacket, Eriol entered the classroom with one full seat. A 14-year-old girl sat alone in the left corner of the back of the room, her head resting on her arms as they lay spread out over her desk. Very un-lady-like he thought.  
  
He cleared his throat, but received no response. He shook his head and walked down the middle isle up to the girl's desk and stood next to her, staring at her head. She didn't even look up; her eyes stared distantly out toward the front whiteboard, covered with black board marker scribbles and fox tracks. Eriol reached a hand out, took a strand of her short hair and pulled.  
  
Sakura screamed and jumped from her seat. When she saw Eriol chuckling, she scowled and hit him playfully on the shoulder. 'Eriol! Don't scare me like that!' she snapped and slumped back into her chair. 'What do you want?'  
  
'Why, I'm your dearest friend Sakura, don't I hold the privilege of speaking to you whenever I wish?' he said disdainfully. He pretended to wipe a tear from his eye.  
  
Sakura gave him a withering look, 'Really, why are you here? You never come this early, and you're so smart, the teachers don't mind if you sleep in for an extra three hours.'  
  
Eriol pushed his spectacles back up his nose and grinned. 'Oh, I wouldn't exactly say "three" hours.' Sakura stuck her tongue out at him. Eriol removed his strap shoulder bag and took the seat on her right. 'It's been a week and a half since the incident, and you haven't been the same since.'  
  
Sakura lifted her head slowly and blinked at him. His eyes were so earnest. She loved the way her best friend's eye expressions would change just as quickly as his moods.  
  
Eriol's lips pursed in impatience.  
  
'Well, I obviously can't fool you,' she said blandly, folding a piece of hair behind her ear. She leant her face on her hand and sighed. 'You know that boy I told you about.'  
  
'Ah, yes.' Eriol said skeptically with a singly raised eyebrow, 'the mysterious boy whom saved you.'  
  
'Yeah, that's the one,' Sakura grimaced as she continued, 'I don't know why, but I felt that something was special about him. Like, he wasn't human or something, like he was something special.'  
  
Eriol raised both thick eyebrows in marvel. 'Not human you say? Dear lord!'  
  
'Shut up!' she said. 'Alright, he was almost magical.'  
  
'Surprising,' Eriol scratched his cheek.  
  
'I just find it strange how he seemed to have rescued me. But I remember how close I had come to those propellers, and the fact that it was like in the middle of the sea and the current was so strong.' she muttered.  
  
'How could he?' Eriol asked persistently, 'How could he possibly have known you were there? Was he on the ferry at the time, spying on you and happens to catch you falling in and rescues you? And then he is able to swim all the way to the shore which was acceptably miles away?' Eriol shook his head in great doubt.  
  
'Well, it's a possibility,' Sakura said placidly, dropping her head onto the desk once again.  
  
Eriol chuckled a little, 'Yes, so you were safe and it was all good. But are you sure you didn't imagine it?'  
  
'No! I know he was real! I can feel it.' As if in a trance, Sakura elevated a hand to her face and touched her lips. 'One night it was so cold, I was cold, but my lips were.warm.' She smiled softly and shut her eyes. 'And I've never felt anything as unusual as that.'  
  
Eriol leaned toward her, 'So you're saying that he.kissed you?'  
  
'I guess so,' she said.  
  
He made a face, 'What do you make out of it?'  
  
Sakura opened her eyes and said brightly, 'I want to see him again.'  
  
Eriol's dark blue eyes widened.  
  
'I want to thank him for saving me, and I want to know him, like I know you,' she said, smiling sweetly. 'Like really good friends.'  
  
'And you want to feel his warm kiss again,' Eriol teased.  
  
Sakura pretended to make a rude-finger gesture.  
  
He furrowed his brow in thought. 'Well.uh, so you remember what he looked like, do you?'  
  
'Chocolate hair and amber eyes,' Sakura answered automatically, having rehearsed that answer in her mind every night since her birthday.  
  
He nodded, as if envisioning the boy in his own mind.  
  
'And he has light olive skin, and his eyes are almond shape.almost Asian, but not quite,' she added as an afterthought and with a giggle.  
  
'And is it a mattering of 'wanting' or 'wishing'?' he wondered, rubbing his chin.  
  
'Both!' Sakura said boldly.  
  
'O-kay.' Eriol said with a wink.  
  
Sakura beamed at him. Now that she was fourteen, she was truly considered more than a teenager, but a young woman. She had a lot more responsibility, and her perceptions of the world were steadily changing - perceptions that weren't affected by the concept of wealth. She was starting to actually take an interest in the opposite sex.  
  
The bell rang, and the rest of the class came rushing in.  
  
*  
  
Sakura and Eriol walked toward the front gardens of their school, where both their limos waited. The day had sped by with the speed of a snail and with the amount of interest of an anthill. It was a bright autumn day, but the air was chilly and golden and red maple leaves scattered over the grounds. The youths of the school played in the piles if leaves mounted up by tiresome school gardeners and janitors who yelled and scolded them for being too playful. As they came closer to the shiny sleek mobiles, Eriol's car's passenger window slid down and an all too familiar face appeared into view.  
  
'Tomoyo!' Eriol and Sakura said in unison, but each in a different tone.  
  
'Hello Eriol,' Tomoyo said, flirting, 'your mother invited my family over for tea, and you know that my school finishes two hours earlier than your so it was a good opportunity to see you.'  
  
Eriol rubbed the back of his head and adjusted his glasses, 'Um, well, I guess I'll take you home then.'  
  
Sakura stuck out her bottom lip, 'Of course,' she said sarcastically. 'She's already in your car, so you might as well.'  
  
Tomoyo sneered at Sakura.  
  
Eriol turned to Sakura with a clarifying nod. 'I'll see you tomorrow then. And good luck to your 'want-wish'.'  
  
Sakura watched Eriol hop beside Tomoyo in the passenger seat, shut the car door and stared at her misty reflection bouncing off each window of the car's side until it drove away. A particularly small and golden gleaming autumn leaf fell into her open palm and she stared at it for a long time. She clutched it to her chest and stared into the pale sky for a moment. It was a shame that the ocean was so far from the city, and after the ferry ordeal, her mother wouldn't even let her take a swim in their own private pool. It was like water was her mother's ultimate enemy; and her mother had many, particularly in the company area.  
  
She slid into her car, slammed the door shut and asked Rei, her driver, to take her home.  
  
*  
  
Eriol had dropped Tomoyo off at her mansion then zoomed away without a backward glance. He pulled up into his driveway and bounded out of the car like a rabbit crossbred with a frog. He sprang into his chambers and slammed the door, threw his bag at the foot of his work desk, kicked off his black shoes and walked towards another door, which led to his personal library. He scanned along the first row of books until he found a rather old, worn out and dusty red hardback. He pulled it out, blew the front so as to read the large golden gothic letters on the cover: BOOK OF WISHES & ADDED WANTS.  
  
He adjusted his glasses, 'Anything for a friend.'  
  
*  
  
He lay among the long green reeds, reaching up to the surface, the barrier that led to the other world above, and separated his from hers. He stared up there for hours, until the waters grew murky and dark, and the nightly prowling sea urchins came out to hunt by riveting moonlight. He tied loose knots in a length of rope he had found from a sunken ship wreckage. There had been no humanly treasures, but there were few interesting odds and ends such as heavy black balls, a rather large iron fishhook and some tightly woven rope.  
  
Tiny bubbles rose from the space between his lips. The water was dark, but it was rather warm that night. He was surprised to find that his lips were ice cold, which seldom occurred whilst he dwelled underwater.  
  
How he envied the humans and their extra limbs. Why were the underwater dwellers cursed with half human characteristics and half fish? Was God condemning them for sins their mythical ancestors had committed? And so prevented them from going to the world above and exploring their lands? He chucked the length of rope aside and growled. That girl.her lips had been so cold and dead looking.but he had revived her, and he had been formally drawn to her.  
  
'If I am destined to pine for a girl I will never see again, I shall eat my own tail,' he muttered.  
  
Suddenly, something strange started in his heart. It was warm, and was gradually enveloping his whole body, even to the very chilliness of his lips. He was overwhelmed, surrounded by an unfamiliar warmness.  
  
But before he could think of a reason, he closed his eyes, and took a deep breath - but there was no substance in which he could breath!  
  
*  
  
The moon was full that evening, and Eriol stood in the front doorway, looking out at the fountain that resided in his lovely flora garden. The silent trickling of water suddenly became more fervent and louder than before, until it sounded like a raging waterfall, gushing down the side of a cliff into a doomed crevice below.  
  
Then there was silence.  
  
Eriol smiled, tucking his hands into the pockets of his night robe and strolled out of the doorway, down the marble steps, along the winding tiled footpath and toward the fountain. He stopped before the fountain and bent over, staring at a sleeping, naked teenage boy lying in the waters of the fountain.  
  
'Ah, so you came,' Eriol said with a hint of surprise. He looked down at his wrist watch, 'I thought it would take at least three days for you to react to the calls.' 


	3. The Distant Cousin

Hope this chapter is okay! Sorry this is shorter than the others, I've been sort of busy, with the usual school and stuff. Please read and review. Thank you heaps. ^_^  
Chapter 3: The Distant Cousin  
  
Sakura suddenly awoke from a restless sleep. Warm, detrimental sweat streaked her face as her entire body shivered and her hands trembled as she used them to pull back her covers. Her breath was short and she found it very difficult to take in air, as if she were suffocating. It was like being in out of space, without oxygen to able the lungs to pump, the blood to circulate and the mind to think. She clasped her throat tightly, desperately.  
  
What's going on? her mind screamed. But there wasn't an answer to be met.  
  
She started to massage her neck, trying to relax and sooth her tensing, tightened vocals. Shortly, the asphyxiating experience ended, and she lied forward on her elbows, her forehead sinking into the space between her legs under the covers, droplets of sweat falling from her brow.  
  
She cringed, an experience of ice stinging the tips of her teeth as she breathed in crisp, cold air. Something was wrong.  
  
*  
  
Eriol strolled back and forth across his room. The boy now lay on his king- sized bed, clothed in Eriol's own royal blue pajamas that he hadn't worn since he was twelve. He finished pacing and stopped by the foot of his bed. The boy's hair was matted and damp, tussled over his forehead, and flattened against his cheeks. It had been a task to carry him into the mansion, without causing a stir among the house staff, maids and butlers.  
  
A mischievous grin placed itself on Eriol's lips, as if an invisible light bulb had popped above his head. He whipped out a large leather text and flipped through it. The page he randomly stopped on was titled: MIND & MEMORY; Time be told, Psyche be bold. Eriol skimmed down the paragraphs then held his head up in thought. He pushed his glasses back up the ridge of his nose and took a note to himself to visit the optometrist some time that week for his lenses had loosened a fair bit.  
  
'Personality,' he murmured, closing his eyes. 'Well, he will certainly need to be a gentleman, one of high class. Ah, my distant relative - a distant cousin. Yes, ah, family.' He nodded certainly and continued to mutter to himself. 'He shall possess impeccable manors, well-weaned dignity, poise and a taste for the arts, and we mustn't forget that he will wield an eye for our dear Sakura. An eye for her alone.'  
  
He could just imagine the look on Sakura's face when this boy came walking into the room, staring at her only. How grateful would she be if she knew that he had been the one to bring her prince to her? All girls would fancy him of course, so there wasn't a need to alter his appearance or his voice. He would act as if she were the only girl in the world. Eriol sighed blissfully. How he revered romance. It wasn't something anyone knew he enjoyed, of course. It would leave a permanent scar on his perfect, squarest records at the school and his reputation.  
  
'He will remember being my distant cousin for all his life. No recollections of the ocean whatsoever,' Eriol said.  
  
But there was something missing for the remodeling of this marine man. He didn't have a known name. He regarded the boy's keen, aggressive features such as his thick eyebrows and thought about it in reference to a land dwelling creature.  
  
'The wolf.Xiaolang, small wolf; Syaoran.'  
  
With all the matter he needed, he placed the book open on the foot of his bed and read the incantation with precision. An eerie green light encircled the boy and slowly changed to a deep maroon red. Eriol's eyes widened.  
  
'No! Wait! That's wrong! The color isn't meant to change!' he cried.  
  
There was a fizzle and an echoing pop and Eriol fell with surprise.  
  
When the light faded, and Eriol's eyes adjusted to the artificial light of his chambers, he looked forward.  
  
Standing on his bed was the boy, his named Syaoran. He raised a tetchy eyebrow at Eriol. 'Whatcha doing on the floor, cuz?' he asked. Then a cheesy grin slapped across his face and he started jumping up and down on the bed, his head nearly brushing the ceiling. Eriol inwardly cringed when he heard a dull crunch. The bed had collapsed from under Syaoran, its middle snapped right across and touching the floor. Syaoran bounded off the bed and landed clumsily on his hands and knees like a dog on all fours.  
  
'Heh, your bed's pretty crap,' he stated and stood up without brushing himself off.  
  
Eriol stared at the bed, and then at Syaoran, incredulous. He was acting exactly the opposite way as Eriol had wanted! He grabbed for the book on the floor, flipped through it again and stopped at the back.  
  
'If, under any circumstances, these spells shall backfire or incorporate themselves, there is unfortunately no way to change these happenings.' He read more and gasped. 'The expiry date is 1956?! No wonder! Magic has advanced since then!'  
  
His glasses slipped off the end of his nose and dangled from one of his ears. He peered blurrily over at Syaoran who was rubbing the carpet and shocking himself purposely with the static electricity he created when rubbing the fibers with his fingers.  
  
'Uh oh.'  
  
*  
  
Sakura arrived to class, early as usual. The whole class came in twenty minutes after her as usual. But even if the day seemed scheduled, she felt something would be different about it. And so it was different when the teacher, Mr. Lloyd, bald, round and middle-aged, addressed the class with a rare smile. This rarity struck most of the student's interests.  
  
'We've got a new student joining us,' he said huskily, waddling toward the side of the room and opened the door. 'Come in, young man.'  
  
A boy dressed in their male's private college uniform walked in and stood before the class and all the girls stared at him. He was about average height, an inch taller than Mr. Lloyd, and of lean build with darn brown hair falling over his eyes.  
  
Sakura's heart stopped. That hair, those eyes, it was him!  
  
'This is Syaoran Li, Eriol's distant cousin from England.'  
  
Sakura looked quickly over at Eriol who was looking anxious. She didn't take a thought to why he looked so odd and turned back to the front.  
  
'He will be staying with us for sometime. Please make him feel welcome.'  
  
All the girls sighed as if responding with a 'of course we'll make him feel welcome'.  
  
Syaoran's eyes swept over the class. Sakura prayed that he would stop and smile at her. But he didn't. He leaned forward and looked as if he was going to bow, but he stopped halfway and sprang stealthily off his feet, did a high forward flip and landed on the desk of one of the girls. He turned and gave her a wink and the girl blushed.  
  
Sakura felt hurt.  
  
Recess came shortly, and the children swamped outside into the crisp, cool air. Sakura trudged in her shiny black buckle shoes, hoping to find Syaoran and perhaps talk to him. But when she did happen to see him, a large cluster of girls from their class surrounded him and he didn't look bothered by it at all, in fact, he looked absolutely proud as if this were some kind of accomplishment. He did a simple cartwheel to demonstrate his excellent athletic ability and the girls swooned.  
  
She lowered her head mournfully and walked away.  
  
After school, Sakura walked down to the main gardens where her limo awaited her. She saw Syaoran and Eriol walking in the same direction. She quickened her pace and halted in front of them, smiled at Eriol and then turned to Syaoran. Her heart skipped a beat. He wasn't even looking at her. He looked right through her, towards Eriol's limo.  
  
A group of five girls skipped by them, all waving and giggling at Syaoran who returned the gesture with a smirk.  
  
Sakura felt crushed and turned to Eriol for confirmation. But Syaoran grabbed his arm before Eriol could answer her and hauled him into the limo and they were gone.  
  
She stared down the road, watching the back of the long receding vehicle.  
  
*  
  
Syaoran was charming, suave and literally a playboy. He would flirt constantly, even with big groups of girls at a time, each girl was envious of each other. He would turn down requests for dates, and always pull away just before a girl nearly managed to sneak him a kiss. He brought on jealousy from the other boys in his class, even his relative Eriol. Syaoran had met once with Tomoyo, and she too was taken by his looks and his mannerisms. Eriol had never really liked Tomoyo more than a wealthy friend, but this was starting to trigger other emotions, ones he wasn't always familiar with.  
  
*  
  
It continued like this for weeks onward, until Sakura was almost certain in her heart that Syaoran Li was not the boy that had saved her. But that hair and those eyes always seemed to change her mind for her, as she stared at them for each day of those weeks during class. It was like torture; she couldn't speak to Eriol anymore and Syaoran wasn't even aware of her existence. She was at a loss with him and herself. So lost and so confused, that she found herself drowning in pitiful, bitter tears.  
  
No longer a dream of her savior, but an ever-endured nightmare.  
  
*  
  
Not knowing why, or sure if there was a reason, Sakura had driven by Eriol's mansion one day on a weekend. She got out of the side door and walked up the path that led to the main doors. She was about to press the intercom button, but stopped. She sighed and turned toward the sun. Something glimmered from the corner of her eye. She spun around and recognized the faint trickling of water. It was the fountain. The clear water bubbled and sparkled under the bright blue sky. She walked down the tile path and sat on its edge, running her right hand through it and creating patterns.  
  
She saw a faint blue blur at the bottom. She squinted her eyes and leaned over to get a closer look at it. It looked sort of round, flat and shiny like mother of pearl. She rolled back her blouse sleeve and scooped her hand down into the chilly waters and withdrew the shiny object. She held it with both hands. It was the shape of a sphere, tinted with different shades of blue and shimmered like watery glitter. Its beauty almost made her smile, but she refused the ushering of the tugs at the edges of her mouth. She slipped it into her front pocket, and hurried out of the garden toward the car and drove home.  
  
Eriol had seen everything from his living room window. 


	4. Blue Light

Hi everyone! Thank you for reading, I really DO appreciate it. ^_^ So here's the next chapter, and I hope you all enjoy it. The story is finally starting to get somewhere, I'm glad to say. -_-; I hope that the next chapter will be far more interesting than this one. Okay, this chapter is sort of developing the storyline, so pretty please bare with me? ^.^; Arigato! ^_~  
Chapter 4: Blue Light  
  
Sakura pinpricked a microscopic hole into the thin sphere and strung a tiny golden thread through it and laced it around her neck. She stared at herself in the mirror, a hand held to the precious treasure. It began to illuminate her skin with an aquamarine blue and her green eyes flashed a deep cerulean. There was something magical about it, she thought as she stared at it for a long time. She promised herself that it would never leave her neck.  
  
*  
  
The weather was growing warmer and the teachers recommended that they started taking swimming lessons before summer came. The school's private indoor pool was just finished with its repairs after a leak had emptied the entire pool. It had taken a month at least to find the crack in the tiled bottom that stretched the length of an Olympic pool. Now it had been newly polished, refilled, and equipped with a eight-meter high diving board with three separate boards for different experience levels.  
  
Eriol heaved a sigh as instructed Syaoran him to put on a pair of bottle- blue board shorts. They were currently in the changing rooms, getting ready for their first swimming lesson. Syaoran had dragged Eriol from his seat in the classroom. His potent substitute cousin shook his head furiously.  
  
'I'm not going swimming!' Eriol stammered. 'D-Do you have any idea how undignified it is to wear such lowly bathers!'  
  
Syaoran stared skeptically at Eriol. He felt bold enough to hold them up to him. Syaoran nodded his head thoughtfully. 'Well, at least they're not Speedos. I know you wouldn't look good in them.'  
  
Eriol slapped a hand to his face and pulled it down roughly, damaging his glasses and making his eyes droop, making his face look distorted. Syaoran chuckled lightly and clapped Eriol on the back, which sent him careening face first into the ground.  
  
'This boy has far too much strength for his own good,' Eriol moaned, watching from the floor as Syaoran flexed an arm in front of the mirror. He sighed, 'Surely no real cousin of mine would be so pompous.'  
  
In the end, Eriol dressed in the shorts. With crisp black towels tossed over their right shoulders, they proceeded out into the swimming room where the boys were lined up on one side of the pool, the girls on the other. Syaoran's face cracked into a goofy smile when he saw the line of attractive girls wearing revealing two-pieces. Their swimming instructor was a lanky thirty year old woman who's nostrils flared like a horse's. She gave each girl a disapproving look and glared at any boys that were out of line.  
  
'First up, we will be testing your diving abilities. First we will start with the lower level, and work our way up. Go up in an orderly fashion of girl, and then boy.' She blew her silver whistle and the first girl in the line stepped up onto the ladder and climbed. She walked out onto the long, hard plank and hesitated. She stared over the edge and sank back.  
  
'Come now, no need to be afraid,' the instructor called.  
  
Syaoran nudged Eriol in the rib, 'She's pretty hot, don't you think?'  
  
Eriol didn't know; he couldn't see without his glasses. He had left them in the changing room because you couldn't wear glasses in the water.  
  
The girl closed her eyes and gave a clumsy leap, splashing messily into the pool below. The girls and several of the boys applauded. The first boy climbed up and did a large explosive bomb, that splashed over the girls and made them screech. He had done it deliberately. And so it went on like this for another ten minutes. Syaoran was growing bored and yawned loudly. He randomly gazed around the place until his eyes wandered up to the girl that stood on the lowest level diving board.  
  
She wore a one-piece black leotard that hugged her slender frame and revealed her back. She walked out onto the board with precise stepping and her arms placed neatly by her sides. She stopped a foot from the end and turned her head to see Syaoran staring intently up at her.  
  
*  
  
Sakura's insides seemed to have disappeared. It was the first time Syaoran's eyes had ever gazed directly at her. It was as if she had suddenly become an object of existence. She raised a hand shakily to her chest and clutched the sphere. A faint azure light flashed within her palm. She withdrew her hand and stretched her arms, took a deep breath and shut her eyes.  
  
*  
  
Syaoran was engrossed in her calming exercises as she steadied herself for a dive. He nudged Eriol again. 'Who is that girl? I don't think I've seen her before.'  
  
Eriol looked absolutely exasperated. 'That's Sakura! My best friend! I haven't been able to talk to her for weeks because of you-'  
  
Syaoran nudged him again and silenced him. Eriol clutched his side and groaned. The girl held her arms out in front of her, lowered her head so her forehead faced the pool below. She took one more deep breath and sprang forward.  
  
As if in slow motion, she performed a perfect tuck role, a full-bodied twist and swooped gracefully into the water, barely making a splash.  
  
*  
  
Sakura's head rose from the surface slowly. She exhaled softly and wiped back the damp hair that had fallen over her eyes. She heard the jealous and spiteful chatter from most of the girls that had already dived and the cheers and applauds from most of the class. She skimmed the various faces of her classmates until she saw Eriol, slightly smiling, and then at Syaoran who stared at her with a piercing gaze.  
  
Deciding to not let it appear that it had fazed her, Sakura swam to the side and climbed out, wringed her hair and walked to the back of the line, turning to face away from the boy's line.  
  
Syaoran stood on his toes, peering over the row of heads and staring at the back of her head. 'So you know her?' he asked distractedly.  
  
Eriol gave him a withering look.  
  
Sakura felt the need to turn around, she caught a quick glimpse of Syaoran staring at her back. He blushed a deep crimson and ducked back down. She thought it strange; he'd never reacted that way to any of the other girls in their class. She absentmindedly fiddled with the flat jewel around her neck. It emitted a white light and made her light olive skin glow white for a split second.  
  
Why had he looked at her? Why had he actually noticed her up until now?  
  
*  
  
Syaoran walked out of school in a daze. Why hadn't he ever seen this girl?  
  
'Oh, I left my Maths textbook in my desk. I'll be right back!' Eriol said quickly and ran back into the school building.  
  
Syaoran rolled his eyes and wondered what was so wonderful about Mathematics. Eriol was renowned for his inquisitive mind, and clear thinking. He was good at all things academic, but differed with physical activities, which Syaoran took the liberty of. They sort of balanced each other out as cousins, like two weights to perfectly balance the scales of talent. Syaoran rubbed the back of his head. The sun started to grow warmer and the light stung his eyes. He sprinted over to the nearest maple tree and stood under it.  
  
He listened to the faint rustling of the leaves and the distant honking of cars and coughing of motors from a chain of bad traffic several streets away from the school. It was a very peculiar day.  
  
More sound added to the picture came from a muffled sob.  
  
Syaoran craned his neck and stared up into the thicket of the tree. Sitting on a low, thick branch was a girl with her knees tucked up to her chin and her arms curled around her head, concealing her face.  
  
'Hey,' he called up at her. 'What're you doing up there?'  
  
The girl lifted her head slowly, revealing her face.  
  
Syaoran's eyes and mouth widened. It was the diving board girl from that morning. He put on a cool posture and pushed back his bangs that easily fell back into place. 'What's up?' he said.  
  
The girl looked away from him. She didn't reply.  
  
He was shocked. No girl had ever answered him with silence; it would usually be a shrill giggle, a sweet smile or the batting of the eyes. Feeling like his ego had been slightly bruise, Syaoran cleared his throat.  
  
But nothing came again.  
  
Irritated by her lack of response, Syaoran hoisted himself up the tree's trunk and landed on the same branch as her. This caught the girl by surprise as she backed up into the trunk.  
  
'Hey, hey,' he said soothingly, 'I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to know what's wrong.'  
  
Syaoran saw fine lines of water trailing down her flushed cheeks. He idly brought a hand to her face and touched her face. He withdrew his hand quickly when she winced. His tense eyes calmed and he spoke gently and politely, 'Will you please tell me what's troubling you? ...Sakura?'  
  
Sakura stared at him as if he defied nature. He knew her name, he had seen her, and he had spoken to her. At that moment she had truly existed.  
  
She drew a shuddering breath and another tear ran down her cheek and dropped from her chin and onto the round blue object around her neck. It glowed white and suddenly a vast ocean spread out beneath them, covering the paved grounds of their school, burying the lower maple trees, the school building and everyone that walked below the tree. It stretched out from horizon to horizon, the sun shone blindingly in a perfect blue sky, casting its light over shimmering blue waters.  
  
They grasped the scene in their mind's eye as well as visually seeing it. The nasal calls of seagulls could be heard, the silent lapping of waves, and the howl of a salty air gale.  
  
Syaoran narrowed his eyes and said, 'This seems so familiar...' he turned to Sakura, 'You know it too, don't you?'  
  
Sakura nodded her head and another tear fell onto her necklace. As fast as it had appeared, the ocean vanished. The trees, the asphalt and the school appeared again. Syaoran looked slightly anxious, as if he were lost or very troubled about something.  
  
'Wh-Where?! What?!'  
  
Sakura felt very frightened. She jumped out of the tree and ran away, leaving Syaoran alone.  
  
He watched her leave, her each sprinting foot in exact distance from the last. Her long, purple shadow retreated from behind her and traveled across the cemented ground.  
  
'I know you...' he said. 'Sakura.' 


	5. To Change

Sorry this chappie took so long to get here! But here it is! And more S+S for those who requested it! It's written quite poorly I'm afraid to say, and perhaps a little boorish...but pretty please, I beg you to cut me some slack...school kills you know! -_-; Okay, enough with my excuses and onto the chapter!  
Chapter 5: To Change  
  
'Hey,' a lean figure called from the doorway. Eriol propped up in his bed and smiled weakly. Syaoran cocked his head, looking concerned. 'Are you okay?' he asked.  
  
Eriol shook his head, his were watery and he looked paler than usual. 'I'm afraid not, Syaoran. I've caught a rather nasty bout of flu. It's the weather you see.' He sneezed and blew his nose. 'All this rain doesn't agree with my sinuses and I'm afraid I am unfit to attend school today. Do tell me how diving goes.'  
  
Syaoran ran a hand through his hair and stared at the ceiling. 'Are you sure you can't come?' he said, trying to hide the very distinct whining in his voice.  
  
He looked back at his cousin sitting up in bed and was surprised to find him smiling...rather colorfully.  
  
'It's Sakura, isn't it?'  
  
Syaoran rubbed the back of his arm uncomfortably. He felt the blood rushing to his face, slowly changing from pale pink, red to a deep maroon. He lowered his head quickly.  
  
'Well, yeah.'  
  
'I know from a hundred such cases,' Eriol said wisely, his eyes twinkling behind his spectacles. He nodded once and wiped his nose with the tissue. 'Many find themselves drawn to her.'  
  
Syaoran thrust his head up, looking absolutely furious. 'Who are they?! I'll...'  
  
'Tut, tut, Syaoran. When was it your position as her bodyguard? Not jealous, are we?' he said seriously. 'No need for violence, I was simply commenting that there is something different about her that divides her from the rest.' His eyes flashed as he said, 'She's almost magic, wouldn't you say?'  
  
Syaoran looked overwhelmed for a moment, then closed his eyes deep in thought. Finally, he opened his eyes and spluttered, 'Th-The ocean! It just appeared and then it was gone!'  
  
Eriol smiled mischievously which confused Syaoran.  
  
'What?' Syaoran asked curiously, pacing towards the bed.  
  
Eriol sneezed again and fidgeted with a new tissue. 'Well she was, I mean, uh, is my best friend. Best friends tend to know these things. She is indeed special.'  
  
'So you can explain what happened the other day?' Syaoran pressed on.  
  
Eriol made the shape of an 'X' with his arms and shook his head. 'It's time you went to school.'  
  
Syaoran looked like he would gag, ogling at Eriol in the most peculiar way.  
  
'Stop gaping like a fish, Syaoran! You're a wolf - fast and cunning, so I suggest you live up to your name and go!' he slapped his right hand between the smalls of Syaoran's back and by some unseen force, Syaoran was ushered out of the room, the door shutting firmly behind him.  
  
Syaoran stood there for a moment, flabbergasted. He idly pulled up his shirt sleeve and stared at the watch. His eyes nearly popped out of his head.  
  
'Argh! I've never been so desperate to get to school on time!' he roared and bolted down the hallway, kicking up the throw rug and nearly knocking over a made who was fanning herself a duster.  
  
Eriol chuckled and said cheekily, 'Ah, so there is a magic that you possess other than the scale about your neck, my dear friend.' He remembered the small blue aura emitting from her chest, but there had also been the slightest transparent pink light circling her head like an angel's halo.  
  
'We shall see.'  
  
*  
  
Sakura peered from the start of the diving board and looked at the gathering crowd of her classmates. They had not yet done the highest diving board and Sakura knew she was far more advanced than the rest of them. She felt foolish in the repetition of the two lower diving boards. She wanted to prove herself. She made sure no one was watching and proceeded to the end.  
  
*  
  
Syaoran passed the long line of giggling girls. They giggled and blushed and waved. He didn't pay them any attention and this shocked them. He had only one girl on his mind for the first time, ever since he could remember. Eriol was right. There was something different about her that divided her from the rest. His eyes climbed the length of the ceiling and he saw her high above them.  
  
Sakura took idly fast paces towards the edge, trying to make a run up. She didn't notice the shallow puddles of water and slipped over, her head hitting the side of the board and instantly knocking her unconscious. She rolled on her side and fell the seven-meter drop.  
  
'Sakura!' Syaoran yelled and watched with horror as she broke the surface with a definable splash.  
  
Without thinking, he jumped into the pool and swam out for her as she sank slowly to the bottom of the pool. He managed to find her waist and hoisted her up to the surface. He hauled her up the side and laid her gently in his lap.  
  
Everyone scampered over to them.  
  
Syaoran pushed them away. 'Give her room!' he snapped and nudged them away roughly. Sakura started spluttering and coughing up water.  
  
She leaned over, the water emptying from her throat as she coughed. Syaoran rubbed her gingerly on the back in small circles. After a while, Sakura found it easy to breath again and looked up to see Syaoran's concerned face.  
  
'You saved me,' she said shakily.  
  
'What's all this?!' roared their swimming teacher, making a path through the crowd and making it to the center. She let out a horrific shriek and pulled Syaoran up by the ear, making him retch. 'What are you doing?! Trying to defile miss Kinomoto?!'  
  
Syaoran looked worriedly at Sakura. Her eyes widened with amazement at such an absurd accusation. She tried to stand up but trembled and sank down again. Syaoran yanked himself away from the teacher and helped Sakura to stand up.  
  
'Miss, it's my fault! I was being selfish and tried the highest diving board but I slipped and knocked my head and fell in. H-He saved me from drowning...' she lowered her head. 'Please, he didn't do anything wrong...he saved me...'  
  
Sakura had never gotten in trouble at school. Everyone gasped and stared at her, not uttering a word.  
  
'We-Well, miss Kinomoto...my, that is surprising. My, my...' the teacher swung her lanky self around and shooed the other students away. She turned back with a stern look. 'I'm afraid I'm going to have to punish both of you. Sakura, you shouldn't have been diving without supervision, and Syaoran, you shouldn't have jumped right in, you might have drowned yourself. Some people aren't strong enough to support another's body weight as well as theirs. I'm glad both of you are all right but you will need to be taught a lesson.' She rubbed her temples and sighed wearily, 'Report to my office after lunch for your set punishments.' She walked away.  
  
Sakura realized that Syaoran's arm was still around her shoulders. She blushed and nudged his arm away. He withdrew it with a flushed face. She forced herself to face him, 'Thank you for saving me. I'm grateful that you helped me and I'm so sorry that you had to be sucked into it. It's all my fault.'  
  
Syaoran couldn't think of what to do but to stare at her pretty face. This unnerved her and she turned her head in the other direction. 'I, uh, hope you have a good morning.' She sighed and slowly turned back. 'I promise that I'll find some way to repay you.'  
  
She walked over to the bench and picked up her towel. She draped it around her slender shoulders and disappeared into the girl's changing room.  
  
*  
  
Syaoran hated rain. It made his hair fuzzy and stick up in odd and undesired places. He stared out the window for hours until the already grey skies grew to dark pewter. He had served two extra hours after school of detention, as the teacher thought it too harsh to put community service on such a dreary day. Sakura had been sent to another room, and Syaoran didn't know where she was. She had said that she would find some way to repay him. But what would that be?  
  
The teacher walked in, 'You may leave, mister Li. I hope you've learnt your lesson.'  
  
'Y-Yes,' he said quickly, bowed to her and hurried out the door.  
  
He burst through the school doors and bounded down the steps and sprinted across the puddle asphalt path and through the small group of trees. Thinking that it was finally his freedom for the day, Syaoran took a particularly large jump into a deep puddle. His ankle twisted and he stumbled forward. His ankle began to throb with pain. He cringed and clutched his ankle as the heavy rain poured over him.  
  
He heard pitter-patters from behind him and craned his neck around. Sakura came running out to him with her umbrella. She knelt beside him and immediately knew what had happened. 'You twisted your ankle!' she gasped and placed her umbrella on the ground. She helped him up and lead him back to the sheltered steps of the school front. 'Wait here, I'll tell the school staff.' She got up and reached for the lever. It wouldn't budge. The door was locked and no lights were on. 'Oh no...' she groaned in distress. 'The school can't be closed! I don't believe this!'  
  
She reached into her school bag and searched for her cell phone. There was a few advantages of being wealthy after all. There came another groan. Her phone wasn't anywhere in her bag. She dropped her head and sank beside him on the steps. 'We're stranded...'  
  
She noticed Syaoran holding a waded handkerchief to his knee. The blood was seeping through his trousers from his graze. She took it from his hand and wrapped it round his knee to clot the bleeding. 'I hope I was able to repay you,' she said. 'I wish I could do something for your ankle.'  
  
'It'll be okay,' Syaoran answered gruffly, trying to ignore the throbbing pulses of pain protruding up his leg. It hurt to the point that there were tears evident in his eyes. 'Oh gosh! I have some hand lotion, how stupid of me!' She dived into her bag, taking out a small round container. She unscrewed the lid and showed him the pale pink cream.  
  
'Will it be okay if I...' she gave him a suggestive look.  
  
Syaoran's face colored and he nodded hesitantly. Sakura insisted on taking off his shoe for him. The cold touch of her hands made him shiver, but he liked the feel of it. She massaged the cream into his heel and rubbed small dabs onto his ankle.  
  
'Thanks,' he said suddenly, 'you seem to know what to do.'  
  
Sakura grinned. 'It's what I want to do, you know? To help others. I'd like to be a nurse someday. But my mother wouldn't allow it, because of my level in society.'  
  
Syaoran blinked at her. Sakura determinedly looked away from his eyes and took another handkerchief from her bag and began to wrap his foot. 'But unfortunately, I don't carry around bandages,' she said jokingly. 'So a hanky will have to do.'  
  
Syaoran's throat tickled with quaint laughter. This surprised Sakura and made her look at him again. He stopped giggling. Their eyes connected.  
  
'What would you like to be?' Sakura asked.  
  
'I don't know. I enjoy sport.'  
  
'So I've noticed,' she said absentmindedly. She clapped a hand to her mouth. 'Oh, sorry, I sound so rude.'  
  
'No, it's fine...go on...' he said curiously.  
  
'You're obviously fit,' it seemed to flow freely, 'you're excellent in every sport our school provides as leisure, you flirt constantly with the opposing sex which I hold nothing against but it has brought disruption to our class. And it's not difficult to see you are an attractive boy with much talent...'  
  
Too much had already revealed itself.  
  
'And then suddenly you turn and notice me there for the first time. I've been here all along, so why was I the only one that didn't fall under your gaze?'  
  
Sakura stared numbly at her shoes, her heart beating in her ears. She had said too much. She knew it. She felt Syaoran examining her face, and knew as his eyes scanned down her body. Sakura felt a hand brush against her cheek and amber eyes met with hers.  
  
'So then what could I become?' he asked gently.  
  
'Many things...' she said weakly.  
  
'And I could do many things?'  
  
'...Yes, many things...'  
  
His eyes calmed. 'And could do something, say...to ask 'may I kiss you'?'  
  
Sakura's throat tightened. She felt her insides disappear and her heart beat so rapidly, she was unaware that it existed.  
  
Syaoran closed his eyes and leaned forward. His lips brushed slightly against hers and he withdrew them, his eyes opening, and gazing at her.  
  
'May I kiss you?' he said amorously.  
  
Sakura threw her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. 


	6. The Kiss

Short and sweet, or really, REALLY boring! Please R+R! I don't have much to say except enjoy! ^_^ S+S is on its way! ^_~ Be patient.  
Chapter 6: The Kiss  
  
Eternity didn't matter to them, as their mouths connected them, as they shared a long, tender kiss. Syaoran held Sakura's face as he had instantly responded to the kiss. Time wasn't an issue. But when they withdrew, time started again. Sakura opened her eyes slowly and stared deeply into his. His eyes were half-closed, and he looked to be in a peaceful state.  
  
'...A kiss?' Sakura whispered. She registered the feeling of her arms wrapped round his neck and blushed.  
  
He closed his eyes, leant his forehead against hers and sighed. 'Yeah...'  
  
They remained that way for five minutes until there came a faint purr of a motor and a faint splash. Two yellow lights glowed through the rain, bouncing off the water droplets and making them sparkle. A car had pulled up into the school's car park.  
  
They both turned in the direction of the headlights and heard clunking splashes proceeding towards them. A tall figure in a trench coat carrying a sleek black umbrella ran up to them. The umbrella raised and Eriol's flushed face became visible.  
  
'Eriol!' they said, releasing each other in an instant.  
  
Eriol sneezed, and then chuckled as he wiped his nose with a crisp, clean handkerchief. 'Well, well, you two, having fun?'  
  
Sakura and Syaoran stared hard at their shoes. Eriol's eye glinted as he detected the handkerchief wrapped on Syaoran's right knee and ankle. 'You hurt yourself, cousin?'  
  
'Uh, yeah,' Syaoran sputtered. 'Sh-She helped me and...'  
  
'He should be okay. Just needs support from two people to walk,' Sakura said with a smile as she raised her head and looked at Eriol. 'Did you come from the car?'  
  
'Yes, would you like a ride?' Eriol asked politely.  
  
Syaoran nodded his head fervently as if insisting. Sakura and Eriol helped support Syaoran as they made it to the car. They stopped by the front of Sakura's mansion. She stepped out slowly, not intending to say anything. Syaoran snatched her wrist and forced her to turn her head.  
  
'See you tomorrow,' he said, his tone both serious and tender. Eriol looked interestedly over his cousin's shoulder, wanting to see the look on Sakura's face. Her reaction wasn't different from what he'd expected. Though she was unique, to Eriol, Sakura was as readable as a book.  
  
Her face went bright pink. Sakura muttered a 'Of course,' and seemed relieved when Syaoran's hand loosened from her wrist and slowly he linked his hand with hers. He squeezed her hand affectionately smiling up at he as he leaned across the seat as she stood out of the car.  
  
'Bye,' he said.  
  
'Bye,' Sakura said.  
  
He let go of her hand and she pushed the door shut. She turned and ran toward the front door without watching the car. She was too focused on the pace of her heart, than the steps that she took.  
  
*  
  
'So, I believe it went well,' Eriol said, watching as Syaoran stared vacantly out the window.  
  
'Yeah,' he grunted, staring through his reflection to the dampen world on the other side of the glass. He had completely forgotten the pain in his knee and ankle, but it was slowly resurfacing to his subconscious.  
  
'Is she a good kisser?' Eriol asked, to make sure Syaoran was paying attention to him.  
  
'Yeah...'  
  
Syaoran shook his head and turned to glare at Eriol.  
  
'Ah, so you were listening,' he teased.  
  
Syaoran scowled, but presently, a goofy grin graced his boyish young face.  
  
Eriol laughed and blew his nose hard, dragging Syaoran back to reality.  
  
'Er, what?' he muttered.  
  
'How's your ankle?' Eriol asked curiously.  
  
'Ankle?' Syaoran bent over and peered over his lap at his bandaged foot. 'Oh, that.'  
  
Eriol stuck his tongue out distastefully. He pushed his glasses back up the ridge of his nose and sniffed. 'I sense a connection. Your ankle doesn't hurt does it? Sakura is good...very good...'  
  
Syaoran wiggled his toes. 'I don't feel a thing. It's normal.'  
  
'Magical, ay?' Eriol quipped.  
  
Syaoran rubbed the arch of his foot and marveled at it. He couldn't explain it, but there was something, something coming back to him. Something was tugging at the back of his mind. The kiss and, her eyes...The ocean. The sea. Water...  
  
'You know there's going to be a school social coming up? And we're allowed to invite whom ever we wish,' Eriol said sniffling. He had his mind and heart set on one person, of course. He was sure Syaoran had already chosen as well, especially after what had happened that afternoon. He had been a genius setting that heavy rainstorm, the puddle, the cream, and her handkerchiefs...and most ingenious of all was the influential kiss in question. 'May I kiss you?' Eriol grinned; he had mastered his magic well.  
  
'Looking forward to school tomorrow?' Eriol asked. 'Got some more diving, and then the preparation of the social.'  
  
Syaoran laid his head back into the cushy car seat and stared at the roof. 'Sure, sounds cool.'  
  
*  
  
Sakura stood waiting at the side of the school building, the river of students gushing by her as she hid within shadows. As she saw Syaoran and Eriol she appeared into the light. 'Can I talk to you?' she asked Syaoran, then gave Eriol a look that asked if he didn't mind. Eriol nodded his head in approval and Sakura led Syaoran back behind the building.  
  
She undid the top button of her white school blouse.  
  
Syaoran looked astonished, undoing her clothes... 'Wha?'  
  
Sakura realized what he was thinking and blushed. 'Um, no, not that.'  
  
'Oh! Um, eheh,' Syaoran shuffled his foot, embarrassed. He understood shortly when she took a necklace from around her neck and showed it to him. It was rather thin and delicate, shaped like a sphere, tinted with different shades of blue when she turned it and shimmered like watery glitter. He was amazed by it.  
  
'I want you to have it,' she said, and place it around his neck. 'I want you to go with me to the formal.'  
  
He was slightly surprised by her blatancy, but nodded his head without hesitation. Sakura smiled warmly and hugged him. She murmured that she was so happy, and that she had wished for this for so long. She thought he would never see her, never notice her. What she didn't tell him however, or asked him, was if he remembered that day at the beach, the day he had saved her... 


	7. Reactions

ARGH! DONE ANOTHER CHAPTER! R+R! ^_^; GET BACK TO YOU LATER! JA NE!  
Chapter 7: Reactions  
  
That night Syaoran tossed and turned in his restless sleep, suspended between dreams and nightmares, reality and awake. He felt terrible flushes of hot and cold, sizzling and freezing, numbing and scorching his five senses. His skin prickled like an attack of a thousand splinters had been charged at him and then a painful numbing enveloped his body, as of he floated in the icy waters of the arctic, no hopes of surviving, and dying slowly...  
  
Syaoran thrust his chest up and started coughing violently, his shoulders heaving forward and his hands clutching fistfuls of blanket. There followed after a fearful rattling breath, as if a skeleton had attempted to breath through its dry, fleshless mouth. Tears squeezed out the corner of his eyes and he squinted them to focus his sight. He was alone in his chambers, on his bed, under what had seemed at first to be a very comforting blanket of undefiled warmth. When his sight adjusted, he saw it ever so clearly to his astonishment; the sphere shimmered in the gloom, misty rings of an eerie blue rippling off of it. He lifted it with his clammy left hand and stared hard at it.  
  
His mind suddenly filled with a conflict. The ocean and the land clashed in a violent battle for total possession of his soul and his thoughts, and his body. The ocean retreated from battle and the land swept over the plains of his mind, consuming all that was originally liquid, leaving it dry and barren.  
  
The sphere's light faded and the dim surrounded him.  
  
He rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand, lied down and brought the blanket up to his chin, turned over and went back to sleep.  
  
*  
  
'Knock, knock!' Eriol chirped as he wrapped his knuckles on the ebony door of his cousin's chamber. 'It's breakfast service.' Beside him stood a maid of about 20, holding a silver tray with two buttered steaming croissants and a pallet of assorted jams and sauces. He turned the knob and opened the door for her.  
  
The maid entered with a lofty smile but instantly wheeled around and exited the room posthaste. Eriol gave her a quizzical look. She nodded her head towards the opening in the door. He craned his neck around and popped his head through the door. Syaoran was jumping up and down on the bed, a glazed look in his eyes. Eriol winced when he heard a dull crunch. The bed had collapsed from under his insistent weight throwing.  
  
'Syaoran! What is going on?' he shouted reverently.  
  
'Hey, cuz!' Syaoran hopped from the bed and threw his arm around Eriol's shoulders then nuggied his head, messing his hair.  
  
'NOT AGAIN!' Eriol yelled at the top of his lungs, two pink patches forming on his cheeks.  
  
Syaoran's laughter rang out into the hall and the maid was so frightened that she dropped her tray and ran away.  
  
*  
  
Sakura ran up to him with her arms wide open.  
  
'Move it!' Syaoran snapped and shoved her out of the way. He strut up the steps and into the building without looking back.  
  
She stood there, perplexed. She felt a hand land on her shoulder and turned around to find Eriol, looking devastated.  
  
'He won't look at you now,' he said, which didn't make any sense to her. He gave her a strained smile and walked after his cousin.  
  
As it was a habit, Sakura raised a hand to clutch the necklace that normally hung round her throat. But when she didn't find it there to comfort her, she felt foolish and lowered her hand again. A group of girls walked by her, throwing her looks of disdain and sneered.  
  
'What's going on?' she asked herself.  
  
*  
  
He didn't even look at her. He kept pushing her aside as she attempted several times to block his path. He would strongly sweep his arm out in front of him and either shove or brush her away. Sakura even flailed her arms and shouted 'Syaoran! Look at me!' but it didn't work either. She was reminded of the painful days when she didn't exist. It was happening all over again.  
  
*  
  
Sakura sat under the light speckled shade of a walnut tree in her back gardens and cried. She didn't know what to do anymore. Why was he doing this? Did the kiss they had shared mean a thing to him at all? Had he forgotten they had connected and that he had willfully agreed to go to the formal with her?  
  
'What's up with you?'  
  
Sakura was startled and looked up, tears flinging from her eyes.  
  
Tomoyo stood above her, her hands daintily placed on her hips and her eyes reflecting the tearful Sakura. It wasn't a normal experience to have your enemy cousin loom over you like that. Sakura was so taken aback that she broke down into even more tears. This surprised Tomoyo and she knelt down, taking extra care not to graze the perfectly groomed grass with her wavering silk skirts.  
  
'What are you doing here?' Sakura asked weakly.  
  
'Your mother invited us over. I wouldn't come over of my freewill,' Tomoyo snapped.  
  
'Of course not,' Sakura breathed sarcastically and looked down into her lap.  
  
'Why are you crying?' Tomoyo said as if confronting. But when she saw the pain in Sakura's eyes, she repeated it a bit more gently. 'Why are you in tears, dear cousin?' she said the 'dear cousin' with a lot of strain.  
  
'Syaoran...he won't even look at me...' Sakura shuddered.  
  
Tomoyo's eyes flashed. 'You know Syaoran?'  
  
Sakura bobbed her head and continued, 'A short time ago, we had come to know each other so well. We even kissed...but now...it seems it never happened.'  
  
'YOU KISSED?!' Tomoyo shrieked.  
  
Sakura looked up at her without looking the least bit shocked. 'So you're one of his many fans,' she said darkly.  
  
Tomoyo went crimson and tried to deny it. 'So on with it,' she said, trying to change the subject. 'You KISSED him! I DEMAND an explanation!'  
  
Sakura wept softly. Tomoyo leaned closer and hesitantly placed her hands on Sakura's shoulders.  
  
'I'm sorry, I'm not used to this sort of thing...being nice, you could call it.'  
  
Sakura nearly laughed, but choked between tears. 'I'm not used to this either, when you've never said a nice thing to me in your life.'  
  
Tomoyo felt tears forming in her eyes, seeing her cousin in such turmoil. Why was she so upset? What was wrong? Were boys really worth all the pain?  
  
'Awe...Sakura, I...' her voice quivered. 'Please, tell me what's the matter? I can't to see you so upset.'  
  
Sakura gave a loud sob and hugged Tomoyo tightly around the middle. 'I don't know what's wrong! He didn't even look at me, Tomoyo! He didn't even realized I was there!' Tomoyo kneeled stiffly and patted Sakura's head, trying in her best wishes to comfort her. She was overwhelmed with the sadness expressed in Sakura's voice, and then she too felt sad and distress.  
  
'Is he worth it?' she asked shakily, fighting back the tears. 'Is he worth your tears? Boys are beyond understanding and they're not worth the crying and the time.'  
  
Sakura nodded her head and choked, 'He's worth every tear I shed, damp and dry...waterfall or waterlogged, I love him, Tomoyo.'  
  
Tomoyo was struck by those three words. So simple, and yet so full of meaning, and yet so complex that not many ever discovered their true significance and value. The human spirit was such a fragile thing, and so many took it for granted. Ever a chance at love... 'You know, I don't mean to be so awful to you. I-I don't hate you, Sakura. In fact, I think you're a worthy cousin, and you're such an interesting girl, I wish I were like you. At least you can be nice without trying.'  
  
Sakura chuckled tearfully. 'But you're so elegant and refined, and I'm so not that way.'  
  
'We can resolve our differences later,' Tomoyo said briskly, pulling away from Sakura and flattening any evident creases in her perfect dress. She avoided Sakura's eyes for fear that she would see her own tears. She didn't want to look like a weakling, not yet. 'I say not to worry! If it is true love, it will all resolve itself in the end!'  
  
She sighed deeply and closed her eyes. 'I only wish I knew the meaning of those words.'  
  
'I love you,' Sakura said.  
  
Tomoyo looked up at her. 'What?'  
  
'Those three words are but themselves in meaning.' Sakura wiped away her tears and smiled gently. 'Eriol?'  
  
'Well, um, yes,' she said a bit uncomfortably.  
  
'Well, like you said, it will resolve itself.' Sakura stood up quickly and headed for the house. She peered over her shoulder. 'Aren't you coming to tea, cousin?'  
  
And for the first time, Tomoyo smiled at her. She nodded her head regally, lifted the ends of her dress and escorted Sakura inside.  
  
*  
  
Eriol heaved a sigh of relief when Syaoran finally calmed down. The sphere glowed blue. Syaoran didn't notice its obvious glow and went on with bouncing his basketball he had taken from the gymnasium.  
  
He knew the affect it had on him, and he knew that the poor boy was experiencing an inner conflict. The scale that dangled from his neck fought against the very unanimity of his very human skin. It was almost...complete.  
  
*  
  
'Syaoran!' Sakura cried as she ran from her car door.  
  
Syaoran turned around and at once, smiled. He welcomed her into his arms and they embraced.  
  
Eriol lowered his head so as to conceal the quaint smirk on his face.  
  
What fun. 


	8. Limits

GOMEN NASAIIII!!! ToT I'm SO SO sorry for taking so long! It's just the holidays were coming up and I had lots of stuff due for my classes at school! T_T I hope you can forgive me and I also hope that your long experienced waiting was worth the time for this very lousy chapter. I admit it, I wrote this in ten minutes, but only because I have to go away on holidays REALLY soon! Don't worry! This story is nearly finished! I guaranty it! ^_~ Arigato for reading and commenting everyone! Please continue to do so, I really appreciate the feedback! And please forgive me for impotence! -_-;  
Chapter 8: Limits  
  
Eriol frowned inwardly as he watched Syaoran from across the study, deeply engrossed in a book about dolphins. He knew that time was growing short. Time was running out. The battle between land and sea raged further still, causing much personal conflict for his supposed cousin, Syaoran. The boy was changing tactics quickly: from good to bad, from bad to worse, from manipulative to vulnerable, visa versa. Syaoran Li suffered long enough, and so he knew it must end soon. Eriol groused as Syaoran waved over at him. He rubbed his chin in thought, squinting his eyes against the reflected light that bounced off his glasses. After the formal...it would be done...once and for all...  
  
Either land or sea would be the victor. He prayed it would be the benefit of both his dear friend, Sakura, and Syaoran, the loan ocean boy.  
  
*  
  
Tomoyo and Sakura grew steadily closer. She had even offered to help Sakura chose her dress for the formal. The complications with Syaoran seemed to be working themselves out...seemed to be, anyway. Tomoyo had gotten over her little fetish for him, and now concentrated on her concerns for her closest living cousin.  
  
'This one compliment your skin,' Tomoyo chimed, holding up a flushed silken gown of rosy pink and purple splashes. 'Such gentle colors. Pink is your favorite color?' Sakura blushed and shook her head, 'My favorite color is blue. Mother wanted me to adapt to pink.'  
  
Tomoyo raised a penciled eyebrow in thought. 'Just like me. How very regal,' she complimented, taking out another dress.  
  
She held it up to Sakura in front of her bedroom's body length mirror, trimmed with gold. It was a simple clean-cut dress of a pale blue, paler than the sky, but seemed to shimmer with the glistening of the ocean in the morning sun without the tints of orange hues. It cuffed the shoulders and reached to grab the ankles, whilst flaring out and falling, washing over her feet.  
  
'This really very much compliments your eyes...green and blue go quite well.' She gave a curt wink.  
  
Sakura smiled softly and held it against herself and turned slightly to the side, wondering if it would be good enough. Her smile faded. She was keen on pleasing Syaoran. But what did he expect of her? She still didn't understand his actions of previous days, skipping back and forth...he noticed her...he didn't notice her. Where was it all leading? Leading to one big, thrilling climax? A quaint sting-in-the-tail? She disliked the concept that her subconscious may be strewn across the pages of a book, and her life transformed into a story, from which people could read and absorb her thoughts, liking it or disliking it. She wondered about her individuality, who she had been before any of this ever happened. What would have happened had she never met him? Had Tomoyo never become her friend?  
  
Tomoyo tilted her head, adorning a fragile smile presented on a face much like a porcelain doll. 'What do you think?' she asked softly.  
  
Sakura nodded her head robustly. She didn't want to think about that anymore. 'Yeah, I think this is the one.'  
  
Tomoyo smiled with pleasure. Sakura looked a little bashful as she returned the smile, though it was strained.  
  
'All right then...all we need is some jewelry, preferably gold to go with the dress, some shoes...and something to do with your hair?' Tomoyo went down a list of things to do, and played with a strand of Sakura's soft auburn hair. Her nose wrinkled as she thought. 'Maybe ringlets? Buns?'  
  
Sakura chuckled nervously. 'Anything seems fine with me. I don't care as long as I don't look like you,' she teased, trying to play out the role of cousin.  
  
Tomoyo wasn't yet used to such an affectionate response and looked offended at first, but then softened up after catching on. 'Of course, I'm too perfect for you.'  
  
The two girls laughed softly and hurried to put away all the other dresses that were thrown all over the floor.  
  
*  
  
Eriol shut the book Syaoran was holding. Syaoran looked up at him with surprise. Eriol leered down at him. Syaoran was taken aback and stood up stiffly. 'What's the matter, cuz?' he asked urgently. 'Did I do something?'  
  
'No, Syaoran, that's just it! You haven't done a thing!' Eriol said exasperatedly, taking the book from Syaoran's hands and tossing it to the floor. He threw his arms in the air, as if acting out a part in Mcbeth. 'It is I that has done everything! I must take responsibility for my actions!' He swiveled around, looking mournful. Syaoran looked confused. Unexpectedly, Eriol grabbed Syaoran by the shoulders and started to shake him firmly. 'I must apologize. I never meant to bring this all on you...or Sakura. I should have let nature take its course, and now -' he let Syaoran go and then he indicated the necklace on Syaoran's neck, 'Look at the outcome!'  
  
Syaoran raised an eyebrow in speculation. 'And what did you do, exactly?'  
  
Eriol hung his head as his glasses slipped to the tip of his nose. 'I...' but then he trailed off. He raised his head and glared at Syaoran. 'Have you gotten your tuxedo for the formal?'  
  
Syaoran shook his head slowly, still feeling slightly off balance. 'Uh, no...' 'Well then! Let us chose!' Eriol grabbed the collar of Syaoran's shirt and pulled him towards the door. 'Let us go to the tailors and get something that will go with that necklace.'  
  
Syaoran flushed with pink. 'Uh...ok?'  
  
Eriol chuckled darkly. 'This won't take much longer. It's almost over.'  
  
*  
  
The night of the formal arrived shortly. Sakura, Syaoran, Eriol and Tomoyo met together outside of the dance hall near a small gathering of other students. Eriol had requested the pleasure of Tomoyo's audience, since he couldn't find it in his heart to ask any other girl, especially the girls at his school. Taken by how good the other looked, they entered the hall and danced for hours, enjoying the occasional chatter they could dwelt with in the time they had between dances and staring at the beauty of their partner.  
  
Sakura leaned her head gently on Syaoran's shoulder as he held her in his arms, swaying from side to side in time to a slow music. She felt so peaceful, and wished she wasn't acquainted with such a devastating world. It all seemed perfect now, as she was held in his arms, nothing else mattered. Her family's wealth...her schooling...lack of friends...she didn't need any of it as long as she had him.  
  
She heard a silent screaming. She didn't want to pay any attention to it, surrounded by the security of warmth and pure bliss of feeling. Nothing mattered to her now. But the screaming couldn't possibly be ignored. A cold rush went down her body and she felt Syaoran's absence. He was no longer in her arms. Sakura forced her eyes open. The devastation she fretted existed everywhere outside the darkness of her eyelids and the warmth she thrived in shattered like a mirror that reflected her greatest desires.  
  
She saw Syaoran...thrusting himself through the clusters of students, tossing people down to the ground, smashing into the buffet tables, scattering food and smashing cutlery. The scream that had awakened her was the scream discharged from her own throat. It was a nightmare that had somehow forced itself into reality.  
  
'Syaoran! Stop this at once!' Eriol called as he tried to make it to the front as the crowd seemed to wash back into the walls of the hall. Tomoyo followed after him, a very panicked look on his face. 'Sakura! Get away from him!'  
  
Sakura turned to Eriol with a dim expression. She didn't understand what was happening. She turned again. Syaoran was advancing on her, a maddened look in his eyes, an eerie blue light flashed from the opening in his shirt that protruded from under the partially ripped suit. He reached out his hands, which were hooked like claws. His jaw was bared and an unearthly growl rose in his throat. He was far from human.  
  
'Sakura!' Tomoyo screamed as she hugged Syaoran around his middle and pulled him back weakly. She was tossed aside and her head smashed on the ground.  
  
Instantly Sakura's eyes were opened. 'Tomoyo!' she shrieked and fell beside her cousin.  
  
She recoiled at the sight of blood. She thrust her head up and stared hard as Syaoran towered over them. If the light of the hall hadn't exposed his distorted features, he would have looked like demon. 'No!' she cried as she shut her eyes tightly. 'Eriol! Help!'  
  
Eriol clapped his hands together with such force that the clap seemed to cause an earthquake as it echoed throughout the hall. Everyone fell to silence.  
  
'Bring us to boundary which separates us land from sea!' he bellowed, his voice echoing after him.  
  
Sakura shut her eyes tightly. A pink glow burned her eyes and she felt herself slipping away from existence, as if she had just passed through a mirror.and was transfigured elsewhere. She dared not open her eyes for a long time, afraid she may open them to find a void. It wasn't until she heard Tomoyo's petty whimpering, and the silent crashes of waves, that she chose to open them...it came as a shock. 


	9. The Beach

Okay! This is the last chapter! Yatta! ^0^ I'm so happy I successfully completed my story! Yay! Lol! Sorry for taking so long, but I'm so happy that people have read and appreciated my story, it is really very touching. ^-^ I want to thank you all for reading and enjoying my story! ^_~ Love you all heaps! ^o^ I hope that my first CCS story posted on Fanfiction.Net was a good one and deserved all your comments! Oh, and if you're sad this is the last chapter, don't be! It's got a happy ending...like every S+S fanfic should have! I may even write a sequel...but read the ending first, and if most of you insist on having a sequel...who knows? ^_~ Ok, that's it from me! Bye!  
  
Ps. I may continue to write more CCS fanfiction, but I need some comments from you guys for inspiration to continue! ^_~  
Chapter 9: The Beach  
  
Sakura felt herself sink several inches down into soft grainy sand. She heard the faint lapping of waves and the howling call of a nightly gale. She opened her eyes. She stood on the edge of a dark, deep blue beach. The moon shone high and eerie. She turned and saw Eriol standing three feet behind her; she looked down and saw Tomoyo lying on the ground at her feet; she turned to her right and saw Syaoran, his face now in full view and his features etched deeply into his face. The moon's light only seemed to emphasize their depth and distortedness, making him look much older than he was. Sakura yelped and took a staggered step back.  
  
A deep growl was discharged from the boy's throat as he leered at her. His amber eyes flashed, twitched, looking far from human. His teeth were bared.  
  
Sakura held her breath and dared not move.  
  
Eriol stood behind them, his breath was rattling as he tried to stay conscious. He had used too much of his strength in transporting them to the boundary between land and sea: the beach.  
  
Sakura's eyes shifted to the ground beneath her, as she viewed her motionless cousin, Tomoyo. She immediately felt a surge of panic and she bent down out of reflex. Her movement was a mistake as Syaoran snarled and lurched toward her, his arms spread, his hands clawed.  
  
Sakura screamed and backed up, flinging her arms out in front of her. Syaoran missed reaching for her but made an attempt to try again.  
  
'Eriol! Help me!' she shrieked with fear as Syaoran advanced on her. She stumbled as she vainly ran in her heels that always sunk deeply into the sand. She reached down and pulled them off and tossed them aside and found her proper footing as Syaoran pursued her up the beach, towards the cliffs that hung over the coastline. 'Eriol! Please!'  
  
But Eriol was far too worn to pursue them, or to hear her pleas. He fell to his knees, exhaustion overcoming him and sank down to his head beside Tomoyo. He shuddered and whimpered as if a vampire was draining his life force out of him. 'Tomoyo,' he rasped, lifting his head with much effort and stretching an arm towards her. The tips of his fore finger and middle finger brushed the bloody clusters formed on her dark hair. He collapsed, unconscious.  
  
'Eriol!' Sakura cried in anguish, rotating her head and peering over her shoulder as Syaoran chased her. She snagged the ends of her dress and fell chest first into the ground, sand spraying over her. Her face was buried into a shallow hole made in the sand. She stayed still for a while, furiously racking her mind. What could she do? What ever was happening? He was insane. He was chasing her. He wanted her dead. For what ever reason. Where did Syaoran go? This wasn't him...was it?  
  
Sakura raised her head out of the sand slowly and turned her whole body around and stared as a large dark figure loomed over her like a solid shadow. She felt tears rise in her eyes as two white lights flashed from the head of the figure. Her ears started ringing. She opened her mouth like a retracting mousetrap and gasped, 'Syaoran?'  
  
The figure seemed to hunch its shoulders in response but it didn't make a sound, only the growl of a revving lawnmower could be distinguished.  
  
Sakura gulped against the dryness of her throat and repeated his name.  
  
He didn't speak with that of human tongue. He howled softly, like an anxious whimper, prolonged like the wind. His shoulders lowered and his hands unclenched from their claws. Sakura stared up at him for a moment, uncertain of what to do, and uncertain of his sanity. Was he human at all?  
  
She chose to heave herself to her feet. She found it difficult to catch her balance on such uneven ground but managed to stay standing and stared hard into his eyes. She didn't know why, but she suddenly found a determination. She didn't notice at first, but a magnificently bright pink aura began to blossom from around her head and shone in a ring like an angel's halo. It radiated in the dim.  
  
Syaoran seemed to be blinded as he hissed and shielded his eyes with his hands.  
  
'Syaoran,' she said clearly and without submission, 'are you there?'  
  
The pink light started to fade and he could look at her again. His eyes grew wide and shone with confusion. He looked like a frightened and vulnerable creature.  
  
Her ears started ringing again when she heard a voice call from behind them. 'Sakura!'  
  
Sakura and Syaoran turned and saw Eriol running over to them, Tomoyo at his side. It was too dark to see the blood drying on her scalp. 'This is all my doing! I brought you all here! I used my magic!'  
  
'Eriol?' Sakura asked, breathless.  
  
He stopped in front of them and talked as quickly as possible, 'Remember the day you described to me what the boy looked like. I took that information from you and searched all the descriptive auras of every person on land and sea. I wanted to bring your prince to you, but I knew once I'd taken him from the ocean, he wouldn't be able to adapt to land life so I fashioned for him a personality that would enable for him to live on land and make him love you...but the spell backfired and I made a mistake...Syaoran seemed to have found what he was truly like before my spell but the two egos were in constant battle for complete control...' he lowered his head in shame, 'You know when he ignored you the first time he came here...but then he suddenly saw you...' he raised his head and his eyes glowed from under his dark fringe. 'The day you started wearing that scale around your neck...because it held his essence, he was able to see you.'  
  
Sakura gasped, 'It was a scale?!' everything suddenly made sense. It was just like a scale from the tail of fish, but it was much more magical and much more solid! 'Syaoran's a merman?!'  
  
Tomoyo's eyes widened in recognition. 'So it is true! You were saved by a boy!'  
  
Sakura nodded her head slowly, in utter shock. 'I don't believe it...' she turned to stare at Syaoran, 'and you saved me...'  
  
Syaoran nodded his head and gazed into her eyes. 'I'm sorry, but Syaoran isn't my name.' Syaoran held out a hand to Eriol. 'He gave me that name when he transferred me and redesigned my entire character. I remember now...my name Ookamenkai, wolf of the sea. I am a mer-person, not of your world but the one below.' He seemed to understand the overwhelmed look in Sakura's eyes. Even though she had realized it and had come to accept it, she still found it absolutely amazing. He idly took her hand in his and brushed the sand off her face with his other hand. 'I knew that I was destined to save you...and I longed to meet you...Eriol helped fulfill that wish and I have come to know the sweet, caring girl you are, Sakura.'  
  
Sakura's mouth opened slightly, but no words came out. No one had ever said anything so touching to her. She blinked back tears and closed her mouth before a sob managed to escape.  
  
He gazed warmly at her, his eyes full of nothing but love and affection for only her.  
  
'I hope you can forgive me, both of you,' Eriol said, holding his hands together and bowing before them.  
  
Sakura and Syaoran broke their gaze and looked at him.  
  
Eriol raised his head when silence met him. Tomoyo still stood beside him, deeply confused. Eriol looked grave. 'There isn't much time left, before one side shall triumph. You see, Syaoran, I mean Ookamenkai, has been exposed to land for so long, that this particular ego of his - which I created - of land will be much more strong. Soon, it could take over completely.'  
  
'I would sacrifice my quiet life of the ocean to be with her!' he exclaimed, grabbing Sakura's shoulders firmly, as if she were a sacred treasure that he could never part with. Eriol shook his head, 'You still don't understand. The ego of land has always been corrupt, but it was weakly shown in its early stages. As I said before, my spell backfired and it worked in reverse - Syaoran wasn't a gentleman but a nuisance, and he didn't hold an eye for only Sakura, but for everyone but Sakura. Now your land ego is strong and thriving, and it will destroy your ego of sea if something isn't done about it soon.'  
  
'What needs to be done?' he asked quietly, but with a stern look in his eyes.  
  
Eriol looked scarcely at Sakura then returned his gaze to his supposed cousin. 'You'll need to return to the ocean soon...or otherwise, land will consume every watery aspect of you...and you will not stop until you have killed Sakura.' Tomoyo gasped with horror, clapping a hand over her mouth. Eriol narrowed his eyes as he said, 'Sakura was supposed to be the central key of your being, for love or for hate...and with the spell in reverse, it's hate and a lust for murder.'  
  
Sakura's eyes widened and she looked up at Syaoran anxiously. He determinedly avoided her gaze as he said, 'So be it.'  
  
Eriol nodded with a deep understanding. 'It's been nice having you as my cousin. I'm sorry I couldn't do anything for your benefit.'  
  
He bobbed his head once and nodded over at Tomoyo. 'Tomoyo. Good bye.'  
  
Tomoyo sniffled softly and nodded her head. 'Good bye.'  
  
Sakura shook her head violently and snatched his wrists. 'You can't leave me! Don't go away! We can find a way around it! We can't be certain that you will try to kill me!'  
  
'No, Sakura!' he yelled, wrenching his wrists from her hands. Now he was looking at her, his brows were knitted, but his eyes were` full of regret. 'I can't afford that possibility! You've witnessed what I'm capable of' - he pointed a finger at Tomoyo, indicating the bleeding which wasn't visible because she had previously been healed by Eriol - 'and I cannot risk it happening again! Don't you see?' he cried, a sort of pleading in his voice, 'I can't afford it! I just can't! I don't want to hurt you any more than I already have! I care about you too much!'  
  
He stopped yelling and seemed to calm as he said, 'I will return to the sea. My home.'  
  
He turned slowly and began walking towards the lapping waves, washing over the sand. His lean form was silhouetted under the eerie moon. The scale around his neck glistened with the reflected light, like a magical calling to the magical moon.  
  
Tomoyo and Eriol watched with pity as Sakura stumbled after him.  
  
'Syaoran! No!'  
  
But as she reached the water's edge, she stopped in surprise. He walked across the water, weightless, his footsteps creating defiant ripples that fought against the washing of the waves.  
  
Within seconds he was far out to sea, nothing but a visible speck on the dark, watery horizon.  
  
'NO! SYAORAN!' Sakura screamed. Almost at once, a brilliant pink light shone from under her feet and she skimmed across the waters like a dragonfly traveling.  
  
'Sakura!' Eriol and Tomoyo called after her.  
  
She ran with nonhuman speed, feet barely leaving the surface as she finally made it out to him. He stood next to a large crooked rock that resided a few hundred meters from the shore. He turned and saw her, but he didn't look surprised. 'I sat on this rock the day I saved you. And I watched you and your loved ones walk back up from the beach. The sun was setting then, with beautiful reds and oranges...it made your hair look like silken thread spun from rubies...you looked beautiful.' He blinked his eyes hard, 'And you still are.'  
  
'Ookamekai.'  
  
Sakura's lips trembled and she couldn't take it anymore. She threw her arms around his neck, forcing his head down and kissed him hard. Fortunately, he didn't struggle and the pleasure was enhanced as he returned the kiss. He caressed her face with such gentleness that she felt as if she were not worthy. They finally parted with a short breath and a gentle gaze.  
  
He removed the necklace from his neck and placed it around her neck. 'I love you, Sakura,' he said with much compassion. 'But we're from two different worlds, we can't be together...it's impossible. Water and Land were never meant to be.' He tilted her chin so she would look at him. 'Wear this necklace always and remember me by it. My love for you shines brighter than the sun in the day, and the moon and stars at night...it blooms into something much stronger and more beautiful like the flowers with each coming spring...because of you, I was able to enjoy walking on feet, even the pain that came with it...' he smiled sadly.  
  
Tears fell from her eyes, one after the other, and landed with little splashes into the ocean on which they stood. But the giggling ripples didn't come; the pink light that emitted from under her feet dissolved them. Sakura whispered, 'My love for you is ageless, and outdoes the constant waves that wash across the oceans in search of land to break upon...my love for you is vaster than our galaxy, and reaches beyond the distance of the stars that burn in galaxies far away...you are my love in love.Ookamenkai.'  
  
He leant his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. 'The thing I'll miss most about you, more than your kisses, is your heart...I know my life below means nothing now, now that I've seen what land can offer...what we mer-people were never meant to experience...' as he said this, he slowly began to sink down.  
  
Sakura looked down at his feet that slowly disappeared as he sank further and further. She watched him disappear slowly until his head was the only thing visible, he stayed for a short time, smiling sadly up at her. A faint blue glow appeared in the water around him; Sakura knew his tail was growing back. The tuxedo jacket and pants floated to the surface on either side of his head.  
  
'Good bye...Sakura...'  
  
His head sank down: his chin...his mouth...his nose...his eyes...his head. He was gone. Sakura sank to her knees. She stared at the empty space of still water, her stark face reflected in it as if it were a mirror. She winced, clutching the necklace that hung around her neck and she jerked it. It seared a burning line of chain into her neck until it gave way and snapped off. She ignored the pain as she shivered violently, crying softly.  
  
The scale slowly fell from the broken chain and landed in her lap.  
  
Tears streamed down her cheeks and poured down her neck, down her front and gradually soaked her dress. The damp patch reached the scale. At once, it shimmered white, and magical blue rings rippled from it.  
  
Sakura opened her eyes wide enough to see the scale glowing. It flashed a brilliant purple and the light spread over her legs. She felt her entire body warm up and fight the chill of the night. When the light faded, she saw the scale had vanished, and she didn't feel the presence of two lower limbs, but one. She lifted her dress cautiously, and in her pale skin's place, glistened dark purple scales.  
  
'Sakura!' she heard a voice from behind her, immediately turning around. Eriol and Tomoyo stood on the rock beside her. 'All along you had the power...but if you choose to go with him, you would be giving up many things! Your family,' he placed a hand on Tomoyo's shoulder, 'your friends,' he gestured to himself, 'and your dreams for the future! Think about what would happen to them! Is this what you want for the future?'  
  
Sakura looked away from them, not fazed by Tomoyo's devastated tears or the sorrow evident in Eriol's voice. She ran a hand over the smooth scaly tail that had replaced her legs. She didn't desire her family's riches. She didn't enjoy being dry. She didn't like the pressure of foot on ground. She didn't like the vanity of appearance and accessories. All she wanted was freedom. She knew her answer.  
  
'I would rather love and be loved more than anything else in this world! Neither sea or land can prevent that!' and quickly, she added in a whisper, 'Please tell my mother I'm doing something that requires less snoring.'  
  
She plunged deep into the waters of the ocean, splashing Eriol and Tomoyo.  
  
They watched the ripples intently, hoping to see her resurface.  
  
But when bubbles did rise, nothing but a pale blue dress floated to the top. 


	10. Epilogue

Quick thingy of what happened afterwards...nothing exciting. And I am happy to inform all of you who read this that there will be a sequel soon...it will involve the generation after, including our heroes and heroines...^_~  
Epilogue: The Aftermath  
  
The truth was like proclaimed murder. Mrs. Kinomoto fell to the floor in tears. She wept bitterly as her husband knelt down beside her and ran a hand up and down her back as if to sooth her. But he felt the same distress and sorrow of his wife and nothing would ever remove that pain. Their daughter was gone forever. Eriol and Tomoyo stood there quietly, their heads lowered, shadows covering their eyes as silent tears streaked down their paled cheeks. There was nothing left to feel except sadness, anger and regret. Sadness that they didn't stay, anger that their first intentions seemed selfish, and regret that nothing could be done to keep them from leaving. The life path was set and unscathed. Sakura had gotten her wish, her wish to be free. Syaoran, Ookamenkai and Sakura had found love, overlooking the boundary of earth and ocean. And now they were together. A funeral was held in commemoration for the two of them. Upon the marble tablets of memory, their names were engraved in bold gothic letters, and underneath, their cause of death. They were branded as drowned victims. The few that knew what had really happened kept it among themselves. But no matter what happened, they were always remembered. Sakura and Syaoran were never really gone; they just weren't present. 


End file.
